Chicago Public Square 2018 05 23
The NFL has a solution to its national anthem problem
This is the Chicago Public Square Newscast, and I'm Charlie Meyerson.
After months of wrestling with how to handle players taking a knee or otherwise registering protests during the playing of The Star-Spangled Banner, NFL owners have approved a new policy: Players on the field need to stand during the playing of the anthem. But Commissioner Roger Goodell says players can register their opposition another way:
It doesn't satisfy everyone. The CEO of the San Francisco 49ers—seminal protester Colin Kaepernick's former team—abstained from voting, saying he'd have preferred the process involve not just owners, but also players.
And as The Onion's satiric headline put it: "New NFL Policy Requires All Players To Honor Patriotic Spirit Of Subservience … American Flag Represents."
--
Elsewhere on the civil liberties front: A defeat for President Trump. A federal judge has ruled that Trump's blocking of his critics on Twitter is unconstitutional. She didn't specifically order Trump to stop, though—saying only "No government official — including the President — is above the law."
--
A big win for President Obama and backers of a plan to put his new Presidential Center in Chicago's Jackson Park.
The City Council has given the plan its final approval. But that's not the end. Because Jackson Park is on the National Register of Historic Places, the feds have to weigh in.
--
One more story. But first …
If you're enjoying these newscasts, you can keep them coming with a pledge to Chicago Public Square. Go to support.chicagopublicsquare.com.
If you paid full price to replace an iPhone battery, Apple may have 50 bucks for you.
After Apple was discovered slowing down iPhone performance to avert shutdowns by aging batteries, it offered replacement batteries for a discounted $29. Now it says customers who paid the full $79 before that are eligible for a $50 rebate. If you did that at an authorized Apple joint in 2017, it says you'll get a refund automatically. If you had the work done elsewhere, you can contact Apple support directly.
I'm Charlie Meyerson and this is Chicago Public Square.
Live Music
Archive
Librivox
Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland
Museum of Art
Internet
Arcade
Console Living Room
Open Library
American
Libraries
TV News
Understanding
9/11
Radio Shows and Broadcasts
Radio Show and Programs Archive
